Speculation links Freire to Katusha; Vicioso, Kristoff and Florencio said to have signed

Triple world champion Oscar Freire is rumoured to be a big new signing for the Russian Katusha team, along with multiple green jersey winner Erik Zabel. The latter is tipped to be coming on board in a similar capacity to that which he fulfilled with HTC Highroad, namely as a mentor and sprint coach, while Freire’s signing – if confirmed – would see him spending one last year in the peloton.

The Spaniard has been searching for a team for next season, although lately his current Rabobank squad plus the Movistar setup indicated that he would not be part of either setup in 2012.

Cycloweb.it appears to be the source of the Freire suggestion, and is following on from a report on Biciciclismo citing negotiations with an unnamed major rider. “In this moment we are negotiating with one of the most important riders,” it cites new team manager Hans Michael Holczer as saying to Russian media. “We cannot say his name. We hope to say it soon.”